In Sam's Defense
by Elizabeth Firebreath
Summary: When an unexplained apartment fire kills his boyfriend, Sam is devastated. But as the investigation of the accident...or murder, Sam becomes the primary suspect. To keep out of jail, Sam has to turn to his biggest rival to clear his name, the man who he'd dubbed 'the devil.'


The day had started wonderfully.

Instead of his alarm Sam woken to the smell of bacon and pancakes. Light shined through the curtains and he slowly opened his eyes, taking a big whiff of the delectable smell. Was today Saturday? Sam was pretty sure the day before had been Wednesday.

Sam rolled over, reaching for his bedmate. Finding the other side cold and empty he called out. "Gabriel?"

"Go back to sleep!" yelled the voice of his boyfriend from the other room.

"What day is it?"

"Thursday!" Gabriel called.

Sam glanced over at the clock. It read 9:09.

"You turned off my alarm!" Sam shrieked. Jumping out a bed, he rushing toward the closet. No time to shower, he was already late enough.

"Oh come on!" Gabriel whined "Your case isn't until two or something."

"I have other responsibilities and cases!" Sam shouted wrestling for a dress shirt. Thankfully he picked his suits every night. He grabbed the first one he saw and made a bolt for the bathroom.

"Nu-uh." Gabriel came marching into their bedroom. "You lay right back down on the bed and you eat the nice breakfast I made you!"

"Gabriel!" Sam moaned franticly "I have work!"

"Nope, no you don't, I called Balthazar and told him you had morning sickness."

Sam stopped and turned slowly toward his boyfriend "You told him what?" Sam sure he hadn't heard correctly.

"Ah, he'll figure it out." Gabriel smiled and waved Sam's disbelief away. "Right now we are celebrating!"

Sam sank onto the queen sized bed and put his head in his hands. What was he going to say to his assistant the next time he saw him, if all went well later that day? Then again, the other man was probably pretty used to Gabriel's antics by now. "Celebrate what?" he asked tiredly.

"You defeat immanent defeat of Lucifer!" Gabriel cheered.

Lucifer wasn't he man's real name of course, that was Nick. Nick, from what Sam had heard, was a pretty decent, if depressed man. He'd been a second rate defense attorney until the death of his wife and child a few years ago. When the man finally returned to work he wasn't the same. When Gabriel had met the man a few months after the transformation he had remarked that he could have been possessed by the devil. Now he was one of the best defense lawyers in the state. Sam had come up against the man in a number of cases, and he lost every time. As resentment built Sam found that the nickname had stuck.

Lucifer was captivating. There was no other way to put it, charismatic and convincing, especially when talking about things that didn't exist. They lived in a superstitious town and Lucifer knew just how to play their fears. When Sam was in the court room he could feel his skin crawling as he resisted the urge to look over his shoulder, searching for some vengeful spirt or something just as ridiculous. The effect the devil had on the jury was incredible. Sam couldn't help but wonder what the man's talents could accomplish if they weren't put toward the pure evil of getting guilty men off.

Sam smiled a bit off a "Don't jinx it."

"Oh come on!" Gabriel laughed. "There's no luck about this. They guys defense is that a ghost made him do it or something. That will never hold up in court."

"You'd be surprised." Sam muttered.

A few weeks before Sam had taken the case of Mrs. Lambert. She was suing the man responsible for murdering her husband in a plane crash that had been deliberately sent into the ground. Sam had been sure it would have been an easy case.

"They guys obviously guilty." Balthazar had said. "The only thing that could get him any sort of reprieve is madness or the like." the like being some supernatural nonsense.

Then Lucifer had taken the guys defense. Suddenly a simple case became a whole lot more complicated. Sam not only had proven the man had no history toward metal illness and the airplane crash hadn't been an accident, but he had to prove that there was no chance a supernatural creature could have taken his place or possessed him.

"Well" Gabriel pronounced. "I made these wonderful pancakes and bacon for you and you damn well are going to eat them even if I have to tie you up and shove it down your throat!" he paused for a moment. "Funny, I think that's what I said to you last night."

"Just go get the food" Sam cried in exasperation, throwing his pillow at his boyfriend.

Gabriel neatly dodged and with a shout of triumph. he leaned forward and kissed Sam quickly on the lips. Sam pushed him away smiling. The other man bounced out of the room, humming.

Sam kept smiling as he collapsed on the bed. Things really were falling into place. Besides Lucifer, his career was really taking off. He was financially stable, that wasn't an issue. He had an amazing boyfriend and he shouldn't want to change a thing.

Expect he did want to change.

Same sex marriage had been legalized less than a year ago in Kansas. The two had never talked about it, but it had been on Sam's mind for a while. Was it time? To tie the knot? To settle down? Buy a house? Adopt some children? The idea was daunting, and he was afraid to mention it to Gabriel. What if that wasn't what Gabriel wanted at all? What if he drove a wedge in their relationship? Sam loved the way it was now; he didn't want to ruin that.

But if anyone had asked Sam, when Gabriel came into their room carrying plates of pancakes and bacon, if he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Gabriel. He wouldn't have had to think twice.

* * *

Evil had won the day.

The devil's defense had been demon possession. A demon, apparently, wanted to kill everyone on the plane that had crashed earlier that week and because Chuck Lambert had survived, the demon killed him in another separate plane crash.

And the jury bought it.

Sam resisted the urge to scream over the music. He contented himself with being a shitty driver. He didn't cut anyone off, or serve violently, in fact he did the opposite. Never going over the speed limit, waiting an eternity to merge into the median, and missing green lights entirely. Gabriel had demonstrated once that you could get people much angrier by being a hesitant and oblivious driver than by being an asshole. Sam wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't witness how many more people flipped him off and laid on their horns. Tonight was no different.

Sam slowed to a stop as the light turned yellow. He waited a few moments for the light turned form red to green again. He didn't move. Someone honked, but Sam paid not heed. The light turned red again, then green, then red. People where really starting to honk now, and serving in the other lain, giving him the figure as they sped past him.

His phone rang.

"Hey?" Sam asked

"Please call Gabriel and tell him to move his car, I have places to go." Castiel's slightly annoyed voice echoed through the receiver.

"Will do." Sam smiled "Can't promise anything though." and hung up. After a few moments Sam pressed the gas pedal.

Then he heard the sirens.

A car pulled up right next to his as Sam gaped for a second before letting out a sigh and shaking his head in bemusement. Someone had called the cops.

Thankfully, it was Bobby he saw approaching his vehicle. Bobby took one look inside the car and gave his adoptive son a scathing look.

"I expected this from your brother, but you're supposed to be the good one." At the mention of his brother, Sam bristled a bit. It had been years sense he'd seen Dean and Sam wanted to keep it that way.

Bobby sloppily wrote a ticket out and slapped it into Sam's outstretched hand "There, you idjot." Sam glanced at it.

"Really?" Sam asked staring the at four digit number.

"Don't act like you can't afford it." Bobby scoffed.

Sam grumbled and shoved the paper into his pocket, Gabriel had received worse.

The rest of the drive home was uneventful. Sam had wasted probably an extra thirty minutes late coming home. That was okay, it was Gabriel's turn to figure out dinner anyway. Sam wasn't really hungry for bad Chinese food or cookies, and he defiantly wasn't in the mood for going out for good Chinese food or cheesecake. Unlike his boyfriend, Sam didn't particularly like sweets. The only fake sugary stuff he ever put into his body was a bowl of lucky charms when he needed comfort food. He had to hide the box from Gabriel so the contents wouldn't disappear in between bad days at work. From what he remembered back the last time he'd lost a case to Lucifer a month ago, he had one bowl left. Perfect, just what he needed.

When he arrived at the apartment complex it was already dark. Sam pushed out of his boyfriend's hybrid ford fusion. (Gabriel liked it because he thought it looked like a space ship from Star Trek on the inside.) His own nondescript Honda Civic was in the shop. He entered the apartment complex and labored up the stairs. Fumbling with his key, he pushed into the small apartment and breathed a sigh of relief. When he breathed in again, the smell of burning reached his nostrils Had Gabriel tried to cook? What had been burned?

He glanced around the small kitchen and living room and caught sight of his Lucky Charms box spilled all over the counter.

Sam felt the anger he had been suppressing inside himself all day boil over as he tried to breath in and out calmly. Not only was the last bowl of cereal all over the counter and the floor, something he no doubt would have to clean up, but all the marshmallows were gone. Gabriel had taken what he wanted and hadn't given a single solitary fuck about the clearly labeled PROERTY OF SAM WINCHESTER scrawled in black sharpie and left the less desirable part for Sam.

"Gabriel what the hell?" Sam called out.

There was no answer. But Gabriel didn't have a car and he had always been positively afraid of the bus and old people, so he had to be here.

Sam was done, he really didn't have the energy or time for this. He just wanted some comfort food, angry sex, and to go the fuck to bed. But no! Nobody ever gave crap what he needed.

_Expect, you, know when Dean single handedly raised you when mom died and dad ran off chasing the 'demon'. _The rational part of his brain corrected. Yeah well, where was Dean now? Off hunting a fucking mythical demon because he was too damn stubborn to admit their father was a lying drunk who'd killed their mother. No demons, no ghosts, just crazy people that needed to be put the fuck in jail.

Sam stormed out of the apartment, shouting his boyfriends name, ready to scream at him until he apologized and went out to the store to buy him another box. Gabriel's antics had not been funny this time. The dick Metatron in the apartment across the hall cracked his door open and told him to shut up. Sam replied by telling him to go fuck Dolorous Umbrage. The little shit had the nerve to look offended.

Sam stopped for a moment, staring at his annoying neighbor's door slam. What the hell was wrong with him? He slumped against the wall and ran a hand through his hair. Sense when did he snap rude insults at people he barely knew? That was Dean's job. Or sense when did he piss people off to make himself feel better, like what he had done in the car earlier that night. He couldn't honestly tell himself that Gabriel was rubbing off on him. Gabriel only fucked with people when they deserved it. He only messed with the system in traffic when some dick had almost hit an old lady or something. Sam wasn't being some Robinhood fellow, he was being the douchebag.

"Hey Gabriel," Sam called, feeling extremely guilty. "Look babe, I'm sorry. I don't know what's-" he reached for the door knob. With a cry Sam jumped back. He stared down at his hand, raw and red flesh throbbed. He'd been burned.

He looked back up at the knob. It wasn't silver medal anymore, it glowed orange. What the hell?

"Gabriel?" Sam shouted as his mind registered this new information. There was a fire. There had to be a fire.

Sam brought his foot back and kicked open the door. He sprang back as the roaring flames, before confined by the door, leapt forward with a startling intensity. "Fire!" he screamed "Fire." Sam stumbled back, searching for the fire alarm. At the end of the hall. He sprinted toward it, grasping on and pulling down shakily. Loud Syrian wailed, piercing his ears, and water sprinkled from the ceiling. A few people ducked their heads out of the nearby apartments rooms. Screams suddenly overwhelmed the alarm's high pitched whine as people threw themselves down the stairs.

"Gabriel!" Sam screamed. He stumbled toward the fire.

Someone grabbed his arm "What are you doing!" said a small Asian boy beside him. Sam recognized him as the kid who lived with his mother in the apartment a few doors down, Kevin he believed. "We have to go!"

"My boyfriend-" Sam started.

"The firefighters will get him!" Kevin sputtered franticly. "We have to get out now!"

The firefighters, Sam thought. Gordon was a fireman. He would save Gabriel. There was nothing to worry about.

"Why are you just standing there!" the Asian boy shrieked angrily. "You're going to die!"

That wasn't true, Gordon would save them.

Kevin let go of his arm. Sam turned his head and watched the boy flee to the end of the hall. Sam felt himself stepping forward to follow, some small part of his mind was screaming at him to run. His steps gained speed until he was stumbling forward, hands outstretched. It was hard to breath now. Every time Sam tried to suck in a breath he coughed it back out. The panicky part of his brain was starting to get louder and louder until he was sprinting down the steps. The thought of Gabriel flitted across his mind. But no, the firefighters would save him, he told himself. Barreling into the room he would only get himself killed along with-

No the fire fighters would save him.

Sam burst out of the building, faltering forward into a crowd of people. They all looked up with horrified eyes at the building, their lives going up in flames. Sam looked up with them, watching what he loved going up in flames.

No the firefighters would save him

Like they had saved his mother.

Sam held back a scream as he launched himself forward without thinking. Hands caught him "What you think you're doing son?" asked one, he heard other voices, some directed at him, some not. Sam struggled trying to get free. Gabriel was still in there. He would die if Sam didn't save him. He would die and it would be Sam's fault.

"My boyfriend!" Sam tried to explain, all the while choking back sobs. "He's still in there."

"The firefighters are coming." said the man.

_There's no way he's alive now _said the voice in his head. Sam glanced up at the blaze. The whole top of the building was engulfed. _Gabriel can't have survived that, he's dead, burned alive, a lifeless corpse- _

"Shut Up!" Sam screamed, yanking his arm out of the other man's grip. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

_You killed him._

Sam turned and ran.

* * *

Castiel collapsed on the empty couch. He relaxed letting his eyes close. It had been a rather long day at work, and just adding to that had been Gabriel's shenanigans on the drive home. He was glad to finally be home and relaxing.

The house was too big. Castiel would need to sell it soon. Even if he couldn't he could afford to rent an apartment in addition. At least his job at Crowley's accounting firm paid well. It almost made up for having to deal with Crowley every day.

Yes, the house was much too large to live in alone, and Meg wasn't coming back.

Castiel's phone rang and his heart leapt the way it always did. It was pathetic, really, four months sense she'd walked out on him and he still wasn't over it.

However, it was a number Castiel didn't recognize.

"Who is this?" Castiel answered wearily.

"Sam.' said a choked voice.

"Why aren't you calling from you pho-" Castiel started.

"Gabriel is dead." interrupted the lifeless voice from the other line.

"What?" Castiel asked, sure he hadn't heard correctly.

"Gabriel is dead, and I killed him."

It took Castiel a little over an hour to find Sam.

He had driven by the street three times before he identified the huddled figure on the park bench. The crumpled body of a man didn't at all resemble the imposing figure Castiel's brother had referred to as Moose before they had fallen in love.

_Don't think about that._

Castiel stopped the car and rolled down the window. The man slowly raised his head. Dead brown eyes met Castiel's.

"Get in." Castiel didn't know what else he could say.

Sam Winchester rose with some difficulty. He leaned against the car and wrestled with the door before it popped open. He fell into the seat and let the door swing shut. Once he was sure all of Sam was in the car and buckled in, Castiel hit the gas and the car hurtled into the night.

They didn't speak a word to each other.

What was there to say?

Sam's phone buzzed. There was an audible pause and Castiel wondered if the other man would answer it. Reluctantly he did. There was a long pause as whoever was on the other line spoke.

"Yes Dean, I'm fine." Sam replied in an empty voice. Dean, Castiel was pretty sure that was Sam's brother. He had never met the man. It wasn't as if he was a good friend of Sam's. The only thing he really knew about Sam was that he was 'the love of Gabriel's life.'

But not any longer.

Gabriel was dead now.

_Don't think about that._

But he couldn't stop. Just yesterday, Gabriel had drug Castiel out ring shopping while Sam was at work. Like all of Gabriel's decisions it had been spontaneous. "Hey Castiel!' he had said "So me and Moose are getting married. I need your help picking out a ring. I don't want to get turned down because I spent half his savings and it's too gay to wear in public. That would suck."

_Stop thinking Castiel, right now, just stop._

He was going to put the ring in Sam's cereal box "He only eats it when he's upset." Gabriel explained "And he's losing a case to the devil, I've told you about him right, little piece of shit. Anyway, I figure, what better way to cheer him up?"

"That's surprisingly subtle of you." Castiel had been expecting a dozen dancing girls or a blimp.

"Well I was going serenade him from the fire escape but then I remembered our neighbor is an asshole and would probably file a complaint."

_Stop, stop it. Please._

Five years out to. Finally, after all those nutcases had done to him, after he had settled down to have a normal life. Something this stupid, this meaningless, had killed him.

"Dean's coming over." Sam said quietly "He thinks I am lying about being alright or something."

"That's fine." Castiel clipped stiffly.

They drove on in silence.

* * *

Dean knew he shouldn't have left his brother with that idiot trickster.

Dean slammed the door to Ellen's bar and stormed across the parking lot.

"Dean!" came the voice. Jo. Dean ignored her. "Dean!" she yelled "Don't you blow me off!"

He barely had the strength of will to control his anger as he flung open the door to his car. This wasn't baby's fault. Baby didn't do anything. His stupid brother's boyfriend, however, was going to get his teeth kicked in.

Jo knocked on the glass window of the Impala. Dean ignored her. She was getting visibly frustrated as she waved her hands angrily and pounded on the glass. Ellen had come out of the bar too, even Ash was poking his head out. Didn't anyone know how to mind their own god damn business?

Dean hit the gas pedal violently and the car sped away.

Jo was left standing in the parking lot of her mother's bar clenching her fists in fury as she screamed "DEAN WINCHESTER!"

* * *

Castiel put Sam in the room in the farthest corner of the house. The other man didn't speak a word, just flopped onto the bed.

Castiel was able to hold it together then, he even managed to climb the stairs to the kitchen and brew a cup of tea. It was only when he was about to take a spoonful of sugar that he sank to the ground and started to implode. He didn't make a sound, he didn't allow himself to. He put a hand to his mouth and started to shake, tears dripping from his eyes and down his face. He bit into his hand to keep from crying out.

He staid like that for several minutes before standing up, face blank, giving no indication he had been crying, and opted for honey instead.

It was almost one in the morning when Castiel sat down to sip on his tea and calm his nerves. He couldn't see sleeping that night; he'd always had a problem with insomnia anyway. He'd only been able sleep when he felt safe. When Meg had left him he hadn't been able to sleep for days.

He heard a knock on the door.

Castiel set his cup of tea down and stared at the heavy oak door, wonder who on earth would come calling at this time of mourning. Hesitantly, slightly worried it might be a robber or some such, Castiel got up a moved toward the door.

When he opened it he was confronted by the most beautiful man he had ever seen.

Blond hair, green eyes, and a body Castiel was sure must be extremely toned under the t-shirt and leather jacket. He wore a stern but worried expression, as if the man was trying to put on a brave face. It wasn't working. He looked so extremely vulnerable it was ridiculous, but still determined.

"I'm here for my brother." He said in a low voice. Not as gruff as Castiel's own, but no one's voice was as gruff as Castiel's

"What?" he asked.

"My brother, Sam Winchester. He told you I was coming?"

Castiel mentally slapped himself in an effort to pull himself together 'Yes, I'm sorry. He's here. He's probably sleeping though."

There was a pause "Can I come in?" the man asked. Dean, this must be Dean.

"Yes of course, I'm sorry." Castiel apologized again, baking up and waving his hand to indicate the other man could enter.

Dean hesitantly stepped inside looking around. 'Nice place." He commented.

'It's much too big for one person." Castiel echoed his earlier thoughts. "Can I get you anything, a cup of tea perhaps?"

"Maybe something a little stronger?" Dean asked, cocking a grin.

Castiel stiffened a bit. 'I'm afraid I don't keep alcohol in the house."

"Oh," Dean nodded and grimaced. "that's fine." He pulled out a flask from his back pocket and unscrewed the lid. Castiel watched him, tensing.

Dean looked over at him raising an eye brow. "Do you want-"

"No thank you." Castiel answered sharply.

That when Dean got it. He grimaced and rescrewed the lid, pushing in back in his pocket. "Actually tea would be fine." He amended voice slightly apologetic.

Castiel nodded turning away toward the kitchen.

Dean followed. "What did you mean it's too big for one person? You don't live here alone?"

"I do," Castiel said fetching the tea bags. "My ex-girlfriend gave it to me, she came from a rich family and she is able throw money around that way. When she left me she left the house also. I simply pay the property taxes." It was so much easier to talk about her now that he was trying to avoid another subject. A month ago he wouldn't have been able to.

"Damn," Dean said, looking around. "Bitches man."

Castiel couldn't even smile.

"Didn't you want to see your brother?" Castiel asked as the tea brewed.

"You said he's sleeping?" Dean replied. "I mean his apartment burned down. "I'll see him in the morning and then I'll be out."

Castiel nodded, the tea brewer made a small noise, signaling it was done.

"Who are you anyway?" Dean asked.

"Castiel," he said poring the tea into a cup. "My name is Castiel Engelbert."

"Engelbert." Dean repeated. "Gabriel's brother than?"

Castiel had picked up the glass of tea to offer it to Dean. It slipped out of his hand and shattered to the ground.

"How clumsy of me." Castiel observed quietly.

"I'll get that." Dean said after a long moment, trying to catch Castiel's eyes. Castiel looked away.

Dean turned to grab a rag and dust bin when Castiel spoke. "He's probably dead." He said.

Dean turned toward him, shock plain on his face. "Dead?"

"Yes." The words could barely be heard.

There was a long pause until Dean asked another one word question. "Probably?"

Castiel paused and shook his head. "He was in the apartment no question."

"How do you know for sure, did Sam tell you?" Dean asked.

"Sam was sure." Castiel said "They only had one car; Sam told me his was in the shop over the phone. But that's not all. I know for a fact Gabriel's phone was in the fire." Castiel fumbled in his back pocket and pulled out his own IPhone. He fiddle with it for a moment before showing it to Dean. "See? That's the last known location of Gabriel's phone. I assume that it burned-" Castiel cut off looking away.

"So wait, you can track someone's phone? What are you? With the NSA?"

Castiel's eyebrows knitted together, not understanding how the situation had anything to do with the government institution. "What?"

"Never mind, but how can you track someone like that?"

"It's an app." Castiel explained "For if we lose our phones. Gabriel can be forgetful."

"That sounds pretty sure to me." Dean said skeptically "Why probably."

Castiel pressed his lips together. "Gabriel is and interesting character." He said slowly.

"Interesting enough to escape form a burning building?" Dean inquired disbelievingly.

Castiel felt a pang with those words. He turned away biting his lip trying to hold himself together. He took a few paces away from Dean and breathe deeply.

Dean grimaced "Cas, sorry, that wasn't a cool thing to say." Castiel paused for a moment, picking up Dean's use of the strange nick name.

There was another knock on the door.

'Who did you invite at three in the morning." Dean asked quietly, voice strangely on guard.

"None one." Castiel answered confused. He moved forward toward the door but Dean threw out a hand and stopped him.

Castiel turned and saw Dean's eyes fix on the door in suspicion. "What?" Castiel asked.

"I don't like it-" Dean was cut off.

"Police Department!" came a voice from outside. "Open up!"

"Okay now I really don't like it," Dean scowled "we need to get out of here. Is there another way out?"

"One minute officer." Castiel called. He turned back to Dean. "What are you talking about, it's the police." He shrugged off Dean's hand.

Dean glanced uneasily toward the door. "In my experience it's not always a good idea to trust-"

"The police?" Castiel asked in disbelief. "I don't know what kind of things you have done to make you think that-" he opened the door and was cut off by a strong authoritative voice.

"We have a warrant for the arrest of Sam Winchester on the charges of Arson, destruction of public property, and the first degree murder of Gabriel Engelbert."

"Son of a bitch." Dean swore.

* * *

Sam sat alone in the interrogation room.

The only furniture inside was a chair and a table. He was sitting in the chair and handcuffed to the table. He was facing a large mirror that Sam knew to only reflect on his side. Sam had been in his fair share of interrogation rooms before, just never from this side.

He had been lying wide awake for about an hour when the police men burst into the room. They'd handcuffed him and read him his Miranda rights, as if he wasn't a lawyer himself and didn't know them by heart. He caught sight of Castiel and Dean, who must have arrived earlier, before he was hustled out of the house and into the cop car. He wasn't even sure what he was being arrested for, they'd probably told him but he couldn't remember.

He didn't even care.

He sat staring down at his hand cuff and only felt emptiness. She should be panicking he should be fighting to calm himself down, collecting his thoughts and deciding on the best course of action. But as he sat numbly reasonable reactions eluded him. He couldn't think about his current situation or his immediate future.

The only thing on his mind was how he left Gabriel to die. With that in mind, he couldn't come up of one good reason why he shouldn't be there, locked away, regardless of what they wanted him for.

Someone came in, Sam didn't bother to look up. He didn't care who it was.

"Mr. Winchester." Came the voice.

Sam couldn't even muster the strength to respond.

The person sat in the chair across form him. "You seemed to have had a pretty good life," she continued. It was defiantly a female's voice, a nice ring to it. It was kind and familiar. He heard the shuffling of paper. "Successful law career ahead of you, good finances and from all appearances a happy relationship with your significant other." Sam knew the police department in his town like the back of his hand. He was first name bases with half of force. It would be awkward for anyone to interrogate him, but he was particularly surprised they had sent in Bobby's wife to do so.

"And yet you burned down you home, killing that significant other." Deputy-sheriff Jody Mills accused. There was a pause. Sam thought it was supposed to be time to let him mull over what she had said, but he could tell she was trying to get up the nerve to say something else. "Does that sound like anyone else to you?"

Sam nearly bit his tongue off. He gasped aloud and looked up. Jody's eyes were steely. There was no room for compassion or guilt. Sam knew she had a job to do. And if that job was to extract a confession of murder from her husband's adoptive son, so be it.

"The parallels are striking." She continued staring him down. "Your father had served time as a marine and a damn good mechanic if the success of his business was anything to go by. He had a beautiful wife and had just began to raise a family. And in one fit of rage, he threw it all away."

"How dare-" Sam hissed.

"You were angry moments before it happened weren't you?" she continued "We have a witness that attests to that. Said you were screaming very loudly about something trivial, cereal was it? He ate you cereal. You killed your boyfriend because he ate your cereal-"

"No!" Sam shouted, trying to yank out of his seat. "I didn't! I apologized-"

"And then you set the fire."

"I didn't set any god damn fire!" Sam cursed. "Jody, you know me! You know I would never od-"

The door behind them slammed open "My client will answer no more questions." came an unusually cheery and almost sinister voice.

The tension the deputy had worked hard to build brook immediately. Sam and Jody stared at each other in confusion, both completely bewildered and unable to connect the voice to some possible outcome of the events transpiring.

Sam turned abruptly , forgetting momentarily that he was restrained by handcuffs. His arms yanked and he grimaced but he was able to twist his head far enough to get a glimpse of the man who had spoken.

"Lucifer?" Sam asked in utter bafflement, forgetting to use the man's actual name instead of the derogatory nickname.

The devil raised an eyebrow "Lucifer huh? Well, I don't know whether to be enraged or flattered."

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked, beginning to feel a spark of anger.

"What is it you think defense lawyers usually do when they show up in an interrogation room with someone who is accused of murder?" Lucifer asked.

In that moment anger came crashing back and Sam had to physically bite his tongue to avoid screaming at the other man to get out. "I didn't hire you." He growled.

"No, but someone with sense did." He smiled "And now you have me!"

Sam opened his mouth but Lucifer shushed him with a wave of his hand. "Before you asked, it was Balthazar."

Sam shook his head "He wouldn't do that."

"Sammy I would never lie to you. Balthazar would and did. He realized the evidence and case against you is rather high, and convincing I must say." Lucifer slid into the seat Deputy Mills had been occupying moments before. "Face it Sammy, that's only way you're getting out of this is me. Now," he shuffled some papers. "Did you kill your boyfriend?"

"No." Sam spat.

"Sam, I said I would never lie to you, it's only polite to pay me the same curtesy." Lucifer pouted

Sam gritted his teeth. "I didn't kill G-" he cut off, unable to say his name.

"Good!" Lucifer said "Convincing enough for the jury, though maybe a few tears would help."

If Sam hadn't been handcuffed he would have punched the man.

Lucifer sighed loudly. "You really are no fun. Look, I know you didn't kill him. I wouldn't be helping you if I thought otherwise. Problem is there's very little we can do to prove that except-"

"No." Sam barked.

"Do you even know what I was going to say?" Lucifer moped.

"Yes," Sam spat shaking with rage.

"Then you know the best option we have to get you out of this mess is to blame your little situation on things otherworldly."

"Get out." Sam hissed.

'Was it something I said?" Lucifer asked in mock appalments

"Get the hell out." It took everything Sam had to keep his bellow a scream.

Lucifer made a large show of getting up out of his seat. He turned from the door as he opened it "You might want to rethink your ideals before they land you in prison." He said offhandedly and shut the door, leaving Sam alone with his rage.

* * *

"And what was the first thing Mr. Winchester said to you?" The prosecutor asked him. "When he asked you to pick him up."

Castiel shifted uncomfortably having no idea how to soften the effect of his next words. "That he killed him." Castiel said quietly.

The court room was completely silent. Castiel could feel Dean's eyes on him but Sam was staring strait ahead. The prosecutor's voice shattered into their ears. "The he killed him." He repeated "Thank you Mr. Englebert, no further questions. Permission to call another witness to the stand, a Mr. Metatron?"

"Permission granted." said the judge.

* * *

Castiel had made tea, but it soon became apparent all they were planning to drink was cheap bear.

They sat around Castiel's dining room table empty bottles scattered across the surface. Dean, Castiel and Bobby were all well passed sober. When Bobby had showed up hours earlier with a case of bear, Sam had asked if it were wise for him to be there. Bobby had responded with "Damn what's ethical."

Tomorrow was Sam's last day on trial, and it wasn't going well for him.

Sam hadn't touched the stuff. Lucifer was coming over soon, and he needed all his wits about him to resist temptation.

Soon enough the doorbell rang. Dean looked up. Sam's brother just might hate the devil more than himself which he would have thought impossible. Bobby grumbled and Castiel didn't even react.

Sam pushed out of the chair and walked toward the Castiel's front door. Opening he was greeted by the solemn expression of a usually smug mug. "Con I come in?" Lucifer asked. The devil always asked to cross a threshold. Like a vampire, Dean had said once. Sam found the comparison apt enough.

"Yeah sure." Sam answered defeatedly.

He moved to let Lucifer enter. He lead him past his the intoxicated police Officer, tax accountant, and brother and into the drawling room. Sam found it odd that Castiel had a drawling room. Castiel had explained that his ex-girlfriend's parents had been old fashioned people and left it at that. Sam tried not to pry into his past relationships when he didn't have to. Castiel seemed rather touchy about it.

And it reminded him of his own past relationships.

Sam swallowed pain and turned to the devil.

He was lounging on one of the luxurious and unused couches. He smiled malevolently up at him. Sam wasn't in the mood.

"You know if we don't do it my way, you'll be rotting in jail for the rest of your life." Lucifer supplied.

"I am aware of that." Sam replied quietly. He couldn't make himself believe, let alone try to convince his defense lawyer that they could really win honestly.

Lucifer sighed. "I think I am going to tell you a story?"

Sam suppressed a groan. Sometimes he was sure that the devil's only purpose was to annoy the hell out of him. There had been many times meeting like this had ended in him belting some pop culture song or telling some long story about how his daddy was mean to him.

"So once upon a time." Lucifer flourished "There was this man, who was in love with this girl, but she married this other guy." Sam fell into a chair and put his head in his hands. He knew better than to try to shut the other man up. He'd just complain about how rude Sam was and continue his story. "See the other guy, the one she married, was a dick." Lucifer explained. "And he like beat his wife and stuff. Our protagonist in the story found about this and was, well, not happy. he being in love with the girl who was on the receiving end of the punching you see?"

'What is the point of this?" Sam snapped.

"Ah ah ah, let me finish Sammy. You'll see soon enough. Well, you see, out protagonist, called Bob, that's not his real, I just like the name bob. Well Bob, he decided the best course of action was to, ah, remove the guy. Both for revenge and to get the girl he loved out of that annoying situation of getting the crap beat out of her."

"So what? You killed someone?" Sam clipped.

"Who said this story was about me?"

"It's always about you." Sam groaned massaging his temples.

"Well, I am the most important person on the earth so it would make sense that most of the stories would be about me." Lucifer explained, as if that should be obvious. "Well actually this time it's not. As if I would label myself Bob." He laughed. "No! Anyway, Bob decided to take the guy up in his little plane, give him a good scare dipping and rising quiet violently until he apologized, called himself an asshole, and promised to move out of the girls house and never see her again, but not divorce because, you know he was the bread winner in the family and the girl needed his money to live and stuff. Understand?"

Sam paused, looking up at Lucifer. He had the uncomfortable feeling that he knew where this was going.

"Things is," he continued "He might have a teensy bit over estimated his flying abilities. He ended up crashing the plane and nearly killing himself. But he didn't, Bob lives, it's a happy ending! Thing is the wife beater kinda, well, cracked his head open. And humans unfortunately cannot live with their heads cracked open, so he died."

"But our story isn't finished! Thing is, the girl wasn't so happy that her creepy stalker who shed turned down as a kid killed her beloved husband who, you know, beat her every other Sunday. She sued the guy for murder. She got a pretty good attorney to, full of self-righteousness and other annoying stuff. But don't count our protagonist out just yet. He got an even better lawyer! Okay, I lied the story is kind of about me. You see, I realized that this Bob did in fact kill the wife beater, but the wife beater kind of deserved to die because he was an asshole and it was all an accident anyway. Thing is, that kind of crap doesn't hold up in court. So I choose another defense."

Sam was silent.

"Moral of the story, sometimes things are more complicated than the verdict of guilty or not guilty."

"So you lied?" Sam asked quietly.

"No, no" Lucifer discounted "When I talked to the man he couldn't make sense of how he lost control of the plane. He couldn't acknowledge the possibility that he killed the other man. He blamed it on anything other than himself. You know how crazy this town. He blabbed all about how he must have been possessed by a demon to even imagine the venture."

"SO you used his delusions-"

"How do I know they are delusions? How sure can you be that demons don't exist, and that they didn't possess dear old Bob. I am not saying it did happen, my job was only to introduce reasonable doubt."

Lucifer leaned forward and Sam reluctantly lifted his head to look into his eyes. "Do you have any idea what started that fire?" Lucifer asked.

Sam reluctantly shook his head.

"Did Gabriel have any enemies?"

Sam shook his head. The devil knew this all already.

Lucifer smiled "Then what reason can you really pose that it couldn't have been some malevolent sprit?"

Sam said nothing.

Lucifer rose to his feet. "See you tomorrow." He said cheerfully. "You know what? I think that this trial may take a turn in your favor tomorrow."

Sam was silently.

After a few minutes of staring down at the floor Sam rose and exited the drawling room and ambled into the dining room. Dean and Castiel were absorbed in their drinks but Bobby looked up. He stared at him, Sam was sure he had some idea how the exchange had gone. It wasn't disappointment he saw in his face, just simple frustration.

Sam collapsed back into his seat and grabbed for a beer.

* * *

The verdict was not guilty.

Castiel stepped out of the court room before anyone else. He needed some air. Sam had been let off. The charges of Gabriel's murder had been overturned. He was free.

But that didn't bring Gabriel back.

"Cas." came a voice behind him. He turned to see the worried voice of Dean.

"I need some air." Castiel repeated form his thoughts. Dean seemed to understand. It was something Castiel appreciated about Dean, he didn't try to comfort Castiel or tell him everything would be okay. They were all empty words, they didn't bring Gabriel back. He knew when to leave Castiel alone and when to distract him with idle talk. Besides, Castiel had the suspicion that Dean was positively allergic to what he called 'chick-flick moments.'

"Sam and I will be meeting at a café down the street." Dean told him.

"I know the one." Castiel nodded.

"Yeah, well, we'll wait." Dean said.

Castiel nodded once again and stepped out into the open air, breathing deep. People started filing out of the court building but Castiel was long gone when people began exiting in earnest.

He walked recklessly, weaving in and out of streets and alleys ways. He wanted to get lost but he knew the palace to well. One glance uo and he would see a building a street sign or something else that would remind him exactly where he was. Meg had loved long walks, just talking. It had always been a struggle to keep up, she walked briskly and talked just as fast. Her wit was sharp but never condescending, not to him anyway. Castiel had really been in love with her.

She left without warning, not a word and no note. One day she was there, the next day gone, leaving Castiel with only the house to remember her by. Castiel waited, but after a week, two, he had forced himself to face the truth. Meg was never coming back.

Gabriel had been there. Castiel was a solitary man; he had few acquaintances and fewer friends. Gabriel had been the only one her could think to call when he could feel himself breaking inside. His brother had come immediately, he knew better than to bring alcohol, he knew Castiel would have enough hidden around the house, ready at a moment's notice to deny he had a problem. Within the hour Gabriel had him laughing, something he hardly did to begin with.

What would he do without him?

A realization shattered through Castiel's thoughts. So wrapped up in his own problems it had taken him moments to detect something he should have sensed from the get-go.

Someone was following him.

He didn't look back, he knew enough not to do that. His first thought was Dean, but he pushed it away immediately. No motive. He began to think in the way his brother taught him. Get somewhere highly populated somewhere any funny business would be spotted immediately. He was relatively safe then. Call Gabriel immediately

Only he couldn't now.

Dean, he thought, Dean spent his life trying to find his father, taking odd jobs and freelancing, taking care of people's stranger problems. He would know what to do. Castiel felt himself walk a little brisker, something he knew he shouldn't do but he couldn't help himself. Castiel whipped his phone out and shakily punched in the numbers.

He answered on the second ring. "Hey Cas?"

"Dean I-"

"Put the phone down." came the female voice.

"What do you need?" he asked.

Castiel panicked. "Just wanted to remind you to feed Angel." He rushed, using the code phrase Gabriel had taught him.

"What the he-" Castiel hung up. He cursed himself, Dean wouldn't recognize he and his brother's code word.

"Good" the voice said. "Now drop it." Castiel bent over slowly and laid it down on the ground before lifting back up to his original position, hands splayed.

"I am going to ask a few questions and you are going to answer them truthfully Castiel." The women said. Castiel cursed to himself. SO this wasn't some random mugging. No, this was much worse.

The women stepped into the light and Castiel gasped, recognizing her.

"Kali." He spluttered.

"Where is he?" Kali asked commandingly.

"Who?"

"Gabriel."

"He's dead." Castiel informed her. "Weeks now."

"The trickster would not be killed so easily." Kali said "We reached out to him and the next day his apartment burned down. That is not a coincidence. But you know that."

Castiel's mouth hung open. "Gabriel-" he stuttered

"Where is he?" Kali demanded

"I don't know." Castiel shook his head.

"He surely must have reached out; I know how much he cared for you."

Castiel shook his head. "I have no idea."

"You will regret it if you are lying to me." Kali threaded

Castiel didn't answer.

She met his eyes once again, searching for lies but all she saw was the good honest shock of getting hit with the most wonderful truth. She stepped back, eyes still on Castiel and disappeared.

* * *

"This is where we first met." Sam said quietly.

Dean looked up from his coffee and stared at his brother. It had been years sense they had seen each other. The issue of their father was something they'd never been able to look passed. Dean had dedicated his life to finding him; Sam had dedicated his life to discrediting his memory. It was strange that this tragedy had served to bring them together.

Dean looked up "What?" he asked.

"Gabriel and I." he said quietly.

Dean paused. Why had he chosen to come here then? He still avoided the town, hell the state Lisa lived in. And they had broken up years ago.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" Dean asked. They would be problematic. He'd told Cas that they'd be here. He supposed he could text the other man, but Castiel seemed extremely technologically challenged.

"No, it's good for me to be here." Sam said.

Dean took another sip of coffee, he could tell his brother want in the mood to talk.

His phone buzzed.

Dean reached into his back pocket. Castiel was calling him. He flipped it open and answered.

"Hey Cas?"

"Dean I-" His voice alarmed Dean at once. He sounded scared.

He tried to keep his voice as calm as possible "What do you need?" he asked

There was a pause "Just wanted to remind you to feed Angel." The man stumbled through his sentence.

Angel? Who the fuck was Angel? "What the hell?!" Dean asked in confusion, but Castiel had already hung up. Dean took the phone away from his face and stared at it.

'What is it?" Sam asked

"Cas is making no sense." Dean narrowed his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" Sam asked.

"Maybe-" Dean was cut off by a waiter.

"Sam!" said a happy voice. Sam turned and tried his best to fake a smile, it wasn't very convincing.

"Hello Francis." He said.

"And who is this? Don't tell me you and Gabriel brook up? Though I have to admit, he is a fine catch." said the man.

Dean turned and eyed the man coldly. "I'm his brother.' He said frostily.

"That's good to hear." said the man delighted. "You and Gabriel are so cute." He cooed to Sam

"Yes." Sam said quietly.

"In fact, here's something odd, about a week ago, Gabriel swung by here and gave me something to deliver to you."

Sam bolted around, eyes wide. "What?" he squeaked.

"Yes, it's in the back. I'll go grab it." The waiter said.

"Did that man-" Dean started

"A week ago." Sam said in shock. "No, that can't be." Dean watched conflicting emotions flit over his brother's face. He seemed to be trying to check his hope, expecting it to be dashed, trying to protect himself from losing Gabriel all over again.

Dean's phone rang again. It was Cas

"Cas? What where you talking-" he started.

"Gabriel's still alive." He rushed breathlessly.

* * *

Dearest Sam,

I apologize for what must have been a horrible few days, but I couldn't risk coming out of hiding until now. I hope it doesn't take too long for this to get to you. I just want to let you know that no matter what, I love you, more than anything. I faked my death to protect you. There are people in my past that are coming back to haunt me. I can't bear the thought of you or Castiel getting hurt because of this. Castiel knows more about this so I won't waste paper explaining it to you. I promise we will see each other again.

Yours Always,

Gabriel

* * *

"If there's one thing I know how to do, it's find people." Dean told them.

Castiel nodded vigorously, but Sam wasn't so easy to convince.

"Your track record isn't exactly the greatest." It had to be said.

Dean gave his brother a dirty look. 'I have friend who can help us. A genus who can mathematically deduce exactly where Gabriel could have been. He brought me close to finding Dad more than a few times."

"It seems like the best place to start." Castiel concluded.

Sam nodded. Inside, his heart was racing. Gabriel wasn't dead, he was alive and well. On the run, yes, but that wasn't anything new to the Winchesters. The two brothers had been on the move their whole adolescent life and Dean hadn't ever stopped.

"When do we leave?" Sam asked.

"Anytime," Dean said. "The Impala's got a full tank of gas and ready to ride off into the unknown."

Sam nodded. They would find Gabriel. They would put a stop to whatever was trying to find him. Castiel had been stubbornly quiet on that point, but there were only so many secrets you could keep on a twelve hour car ride.

"Today would be preferable." Castiel said.

"Today it is then." Dean said, pushing up from his seat at the little table inside the café. "Let's hit the road."

And for the first time in Sam's life, he was excited to do just that.


End file.
